Johnson’s Island City Water Connection

Everything you need to know about municipal water, your cistern or well, & your connection options.

Know Your Options. Choose the Local Experts.

What Johnson’s Island Homeowners Need to Know

Learn How It Works, & Why Johnson’s Island Chooses Fry.

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Johnson's Island Connection Walkthrough

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As public water arrives on Johnson’s Island, homeowners face an important decision about their home's plumbing, water quality, and long-term utility costs. Whether you currently rely on a private well or spend thousands of dollars annually hauling water for a cistern, connecting to the Village of Marblehead's new municipal water line offers a reliable, treated water supply and vital fire protection for your property.

This guide breaks down how the island-wide infrastructure project works, what local Health Department rules mean for your existing cistern or well, and how to seamlessly navigate your private service line connection - from permits to indoor plumbing tie-ins.

Understand Your Water Options

Connecting your home to the new municipal water main involves navigating county regulations, utility rules, and private plumbing requirements. To help you make the right choice for your property, we created this short educational video.

What's City Water Means For You & The Johnson's Island Community?

Safe & Reliable Water

Treated, regularly tested water – no more hauling, testing, or guessing with a cistern or well.

Better Fire Protection

New hydrants bring real fire protection to the island for the first time ever.

Increased Home Value

Municipal water is a plus with buyers, appraisers, and mortgage lenders.

Cistern or Well Transition

Keep it dedicated to an outdoor spigot, or retire it properly. We’ll show you how to do either, the right way.

You Choose Your Contractor

It's Your Call.

The Village installs the main line to your property. From there, you’re free to hire any plumber licensed with Ottawa County for your home’s connection – no requirement to use any particular company.

Fry Makes It Easy.

Licensed, local, and serving this region for more than 90 years. One call covers the permit and the connection – from the meter pit to your faucet.

Your Guide to City Water on Johnson's Island

1. What’s Happening on Johnson’s Island 

After decades of discussion, Johnson’s Island is getting public water. In 2021, more than half of the island’s property owners signed a petition asking the Village of Marblehead to bring city water service to the island, and the Village began the formal project development process that follows Ohio’s public infrastructure rules.

Today, most of the island’s roughly 270 seasonal and year-round homes rely on private cisterns and/or wells for water. Many households currently pay between $1,200 and $3,000 a year – or more – hauling potable water onto the island, depending on whether the home is seasonal or full-time and how much water it uses.

The project includes:

• An underwater transmission main crossing Sandusky Bay, extending the existing water line from Gaydos Drive to the island.
  
• Roughly 4.5 miles of new water main installed along the residential streets circling the island.
  
• Fire hydrants around the island – the first time Johnson’s Island will have this level of fire protection infrastructure.
  
• A tap and curb-stop shutoff installed at every parcel with a home or a buildable lot.

The shared infrastructure is estimated to cost about $8.76 million, financed through a zero-percent-interest loan (up to a 30-year term) from the Ohio EPA’s Water Supply Revolving Loan Account, and repaid through special property assessments under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 727. This assessment covers the main line and infrastructure – it is separate from, and does not include, the cost of connecting your individual house (see Section 2).

Engineering, environmental review, and regulatory approvals (Ohio EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and others) are complete. Construction is underway in 2026 and is expected to take about two years to reach every part of the island, with water becoming available street-by-street as each segment is finished.

A quick note on your sewer bill.

Sewer service on Johnson’s Island is a separate utility from your water – it’s billed by the Ottawa County Sanitary Engineering Department, not the Village of Marblehead. Today, that bill is a flat monthly charge per Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) – currently about $27/month for the district covering the Marblehead peninsula – rather than being based on metered usage. That’s the standard approach utilities use when there’s no water meter to reference, which is exactly the situation on the island today.

One thing we haven’t been able to confirm publicly: whether the county plans to move to usage-based sewer 

billing once homes have a water meter, which is common practice at some utilities. We’d recommend homeowners contact the Ottawa County Sanitary Engineer’s office directly (419-734-6725) for the most current word on this 

before making your decision.

2. How the Connection Works, Step by Step

Getting water to your kitchen sink happens in two steps – one shared, one private:

A. Typical Annual Visits May Include:

As part of the Village’s project, a water main, curb stop (a shutoff valve), and water meter pit with the water meter are installed at your property line. This is the shared portion covered by the special assessment described in Section 1; contact the Village of Marblehead (419-798-4074) for the latest on timing and status for your street.

B. Your private connection – your choice, your contractor

From the water meter pit to your house – and everything inside it – is a separate, private undertaking, entirely at the homeowner’s discretion. Ohio and Ottawa County rules are clear on this: you’re free to hire any plumber or contractor licensed with the Ottawa County Sanitary Engineering Department to do this work. There is no requirement to use any particular company.

This is where Fry comes in. Once the line reaches your property, Fry – a licensed plumber – can handle:

• The tap fee and plumbing permit – Fry pulls the permit and handles all the paperwork for your home, so you don’t have to.
• Running the service line from the meter pit to your house and tying it into your home’s interior plumbing.
• If you’re keeping any part of your cistern or well, making sure it’s set up correctly per Ottawa County Health Department requirements (see Section 4).

Fry provides a straightforward written quote for this work, with no obligation. We’d simply like the chance to earn your business – see Section 6 for why many homeowners are choosing Fry.

We recommend scheduling a walk-through with Fry before construction reaches your street, so you know 

exactly what to expect and can budget accordingly.

3. Is Connecting Required?

No – as of today, the Village has no ordinance requiring homeowners to physically connect their house to the new water main. The special assessment for the shared infrastructure applies to eligible parcels regardless of connection status, as is standard for Ohio special-assessment projects under ORC 727. But whether to tie your house into that new line is a separate, personal decision every homeowner gets to make.

That means the choice comes down to weighing the upfront cost of connecting your home against the ongoing benefits described in Section 5. For many households – especially those currently paying to haul water – that comparison tends to favor connecting. Others may choose to wait and see, or continue relying on their current system for now. Either way, it helps to go in with a clear picture of the facts, which is exactly what this guide (and our companion video) is for.

4. Your Cistern or Well – What You Can and Can’t Do

Cisterns and wells on Johnson’s Island

Homes on the island rely on one of two private water sources today: a cistern (a large tank, usually buried, that collects and stores rainwater or hauled-in water) or a private well. Some properties have one, some have the other, and a few have both. The good news: the same rules and the same set of choices apply either way.

The maintenance reality

Both systems need regular upkeep to stay safe. Cistern water sits in a tank rather than moving through a treated distribution system, so it’s vulnerable to algae growth, sediment, and biofilm buildup, and – if not properly screened, filtered, and disinfected – bacteria and parasites such as E. coli, Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia. Well water

carries its own risks, including bacterial contamination and mineral or sediment issues, and needs periodic testing to confirm it’s safe. Regular maintenance and testing matter for both, regardless of whether you ever connect to city water.

The rule that matters most: no shared connection

We spoke directly with the Ottawa County Health Department about this, and their guidance is straightforward: neither a cistern nor a well can be connected to the same plumbing that carries city water into your home – there can be no shared connection between a private water source and the public system. But that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of either one.

Your options once you connect to city water

• Keep it for a separate, dedicated use. Many homeowners keep their cistern or well by having it plumbed to serve just one outdoor spigot or hose bib – for watering the lawn, flowers, or garden. As long as that line is entirely separate from your home’s interior city-water plumbing (never a shared connection), the health department confirms this is allowed. It’s often the simplest and most cost-effective way to keep either system useful.

• Abandon it properly. If you don’t plan to use the cistern or well at all, it needs to be permanently and properly decommissioned rather than just capped or left empty. A cistern is typically removed or filled in; a well is plugged and sealed per Ohio requirements – Fry can handle either. Proper abandonment – done right, for either system – tends to cost more than keeping it in service for a single dedicated use, so it’s worth weighing that against the dedicated-spigot option before deciding.

• Leave it exactly as it is. If you choose not to connect to city water at all, none of this applies – your cistern or well keeps operating just as it does today.

Fry can walk your property and help you decide which option makes the most sense for your home and your budget – whether that’s setting up a dedicated outdoor spigot line, or handling a proper abandonment.

5. Why Many Neighbors Are Choosing to Connect

• Water safety and reliability. City water is treated and regularly tested against state drinking-water standards, removing the ongoing testing and treatment burden that comes with maintaining a private water source.

• No more hauling. Connecting can eliminate the $1,200–$3,000 per year (or more) many households currently spend trucking water onto the island, along with the logistics of scheduling deliveries and monitoring tank levels.

• Fire protection. For the first time, this project brings fire hydrants to Johnson’s Island – a meaningful safety upgrade for a community that has historically had limited firefighting water access, and a factor that can favorably influence homeowners insurance.

• Home value and marketability. Municipal water is generally viewed favorably by buyers, appraisers, and lenders. Wells and cisterns can complicate financing – FHA and VA loans in particular often require water-quality testing and documentation – and can slow down a sale. Homes with straightforward municipal water tend to face fewer of these hurdles.

• Everyday convenience. Consistent pressure and volume on demand, no tank cleaning or disinfection routine, and no seasonal shutdown-and-refill logistics for part-time residents.

•  No red tape for you. Fry pulls the permit and handles all the paperwork for your home’s connection – you don’t have to navigate that process yourself.

To be fair and balanced: connecting is not free. Homeowners should budget for the private portion of the work – running the line from the meter pit to the house, the tap and permit fees, and the interior connection – and get a written quote before deciding. You’re free to get quotes from any licensed contractor; ask Fry for a straightforward one. For many households the long-term savings and peace of mind outweigh the upfront cost – but it’s a decision worth making with real numbers in hand, not just enthusiasm.

6. Beyond the Tap – What Fry Can Do For Your Home

Fry Heating, Cooling & Plumbing has served Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan for more than 90 years, working on homes and businesses across Toledo, Ann Arbor, and the surrounding lake communities. We already have many customers throughout the Marblehead community and are familiar with the same kinds of water, plumbing, and mechanical needs that Johnson’s Island homes have.

Beyond your water line connection, our licensed team also handles:

• Full-service plumbing, drain, and sewer work
• Water heater installation and repair
• Sump pumps and battery backup systems
• Backflow-prevention testing and certification
• Complete heating and cooling (HVAC) service and installation
• 24/7 emergency service

A smart option for part-time homeowners: Flo by Moen

A lot of homes on Johnson’s Island are seasonal or part-time residences, which raises an obvious worry: what happens if a pipe leaks or bursts while no one’s there to notice? Flo by Moen is a smart water monitor and automatic shutoff valve that installs directly on your home’s main water line and is built for exactly that situation.

• Leak detection down to a drip. Flo continuously monitors water flow, pressure, and temperature, and can catch even a slow leak – as small as a drop a minute – that would otherwise go unnoticed for weeks in an empty house.

• Automatic shutoff. If it detects an abnormal pattern, like water running with every fixture off, it alerts you by app, phone call, and email, and will automatically shut off your home’s water supply if no one responds within a few minutes – stopping a small leak before it becomes a flooded house.

• Freeze alerts. It can flag freezing conditions inside the home, a real concern for a closed-up lake house through a Northern Ohio winter.

• Monitor and control it from anywhere. Everything runs through an app, so you can check your home’s water use, or shut the water off entirely, whether you’re across the island or across the country.

For a home you’re not in every day, this is one of the more effective ways to catch a problem before it becomes an expensive one. The device typically runs in the $500–$650 range before installation, and some homeowners insurance providers offer a discount or rebate for having one installed. Fry can install a Flo by Moen system as part of your water line connection, or any time after – ask us for a quote specific to your home.

As Johnson’s Island modernizes its infrastructure, we’d like to be the one trusted call islanders make for whatever the house needs next – not just this project.

7. Johnson's Island City Water FAQs... Answered by FRY!

8. Next Steps

• Watch our short video walk-through above to see everything in this guide in one place.

• Decide what’s right for your home: connect now, wait, or keep your current system as-is.

• Call us directly to let us know you’re interested – we’ll follow up for a free, no-obligation walk-through and a straightforward written estimate.
  

Our Plumbing & HVAC Services

Best Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing Company on Johnson's Island.

HVAC Services

As the best HVAC service provider in Whitehouse, Ohio, we know a thing or two about installations, replacements and repairs on commercial and residential HVAC units. From air conditioners to heating systems, our expert contractors know these vital pieces of equipment like the back of our hands.

Plumbing Services

Plumbing for Fry is more than just installing and repairing fixtures. For our plumbers, we love a complex challenge such as trenchless pipe repair or repiping, and whether you are looking to support a new configuration for your space or want to expand your home, we are the plumbing company that can help.

Emergency Services

Dealing with an emergency is never fun, but if you have system failures, floods or even drain clogs that are causing a backflow, Fry is here to help. With our emergency HVAC and plumbing services, you are in good hands, and no matter if it's day or night, our trucks are ready to be dispatched.

Our Trusted Suppliers & Brands

Install the best brands you can rely on.

Trane has been the golden standard in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems here in the United States since they opened their doors all the way back in 1913. We are proud to partner with such a giant in the HVAC industry, and our technicians are trained by Trane to install, repair, and maintain these cutting-edge commercial and residential systems. 

Rheem is a global brand that has made its name by producing some of the best HVAC systems in commercial and residential spaces. Our technicians have worked with Rheem for years, and with the proper training to install, repair, and maintain these units. From furnaces to air conditioners, you can always trust a Rheem unit to last for decades with proper care and maintenance. 

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Visit RELYonFRY.com to explore our flexible financing options designed to make home maintenance more affordable. Whether you’re upgrading your systems or need urgent repairs, we offer easy payment plans to fit your budget. Check out our website today to learn more and find the best option for your needs!

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